Unit History: Parkstone Sea Training School

Parkstone Sea Training School opened in 1951 prior to this date it had been called The Russell-Cotes Nautical School which trained boys for Merchant Navy. The boys from Watts Naval Training School joined them in 1949, then in 1951 the school was re-named Parkstone. Dr. Barnardo’s continued to train young seamen until 1964, by which time naval careers had long ceased to have much appeal for most boys plus fewer boys would be needed in the post war Navy. In 1964 Parkstone was closed its door with six of the boys Patrick Forsley, Robert Rumble, John Morgan, John Mansfield and Roy Mason all settled in Aberdeen House. The band equipment, rifles, blue shirts and the music hut ended up at Goldings WBTS.
The Russell Cotes Nautical School which had trained boys for Merchant Navy had started in 1919 the funds had come from Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Coats who were involved with charity work, they providing land, money and overseeing development of property for the Shaftesbury Society and Dr Barnardo’s.